Aurora Borealis

[camrogers]

A week ago I got a text from Dmetri telling me to turn on the TV. I told him I couldn't as I didn't have one. He explained there was a documentary on - Joanna Lumley and the Land of the Northern Lights - and that while he hadn't initially understood the appeal of going to Finland, now he did. The doco is largely about Norway; the closest spot to see the Aurora Borealis from Helsinki would be Finnish Lapland, and the doco spends some time there. I asked J about this when we first started discussing my getting over there, and I'd love to see them. She's never seen them either.

Anyway, talking with some friends led to them mentioning that iiNet has this thing called iView that (I think) holds recently broadcast TV for about a week. Curious I checked out the ABC section at:

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/474787

... and found the doco. I don't mind Lumley, but her excitement in this is really infectious. She's wanted to see the lights since she was a child growing up in Malaysia, and when she finally does it's pretty moving.

You can watch it fullscreen for a 250MB streaming download - and it doesn't come off your cap if your ISP is iiNet. I think it's hosted for another three days if you're curious.

It also makes me want to see Norway. And now I know not to ask a Sami about the size of his herd.

EDIT:

Comments

[annetten.livejournal.com]

Hey, if you need any information about Norway, just let me know :-) Both fjords and aurora borealis are worth going here for, but if you want to see something really spectacular and different, try Svalbard. (Technically a part of Norway, and the most wonderful northern lights I have ever seen.)

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

Svalbard... I think that might have been in the doco...? I do have a newfound longing to visit the coastal village of Å.

Svalbard. (Googles.) Longyearbyen! That was in it. -60C from memory. "Like breathing knives." It's also the spot where she finally saw them, and I don't mind saying I teared up. I'd love to go there.

I'm hoping to be in Helsinki sometime between March and May. Decided I will be there by May 5th. Once there I've got at least three months, so you'll find me asking you questions around then. :) Thanks!

[annetten.livejournal.com]

I've been to Svalbard once, and it was absolutely bloody fantastic, quite unlike anything else. I was lucky enough to go sleighriding with husky dogs, and although horribly expensive, I'd do that again in a heartbeat. Svalbard is actually nicer in winter, so try to get there as early in the year as possible.

[jilder.livejournal.com]

You can also view iView using the Playstation network, if you're one of those weirdos who likes watching their tv on their tv.

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

What is this, the Stone Age?

[jilder.livejournal.com]

The little pterodactyl that serves as my antenna gets crabby if I ignore it for too long.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

I had a friend excitedly txt me to say "Joanna Lumley in Moominland!!!"

Sadly, I was away from home at the time, and don't have the data rations to spare to watch it. Does it actually have Moomins?

(I'm a bit of a Moominfan, to tell the truth.)

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

No Moomins, but definitely worth it. Also, if you only get shaped when you go overlimit you could probably still watch it. It's only 250MB with decent res and it'd buffer.

Listen to me speaking with the language of youth! On the street! Keeping it real with my chums and such!

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

chums

Showed your age with that one ;)

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

Yep. Circa 1910 or thereabouts.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

Not being shaped -- I'm on a mobile dongle with only a gig to play with, and am rationing my bandwidth consumption due to the Current Austerity Measures needed to ensure continued access.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

There's a moomin theme park. Actually, there are two - one in Japan, and one on, I think, the island between Finland and Sweden where Tove Jansson lived.

The Northern Lights are part of the appeal of Sweden for me, too, I really want to see them. And, of course, Sweden is just a Finland away from St Petersburg.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

There's also a Moomin Museum at Tampere. I believe Moomin World is on the island of Kailo. I think Tove lived on the island of Klovharu, not Kailo, but she may well have spent time there.

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

There's also a Moomin Museum at Tampere.

J loves Tampere. First place she's dragging me to. I'll take shots.

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's fantastic :)

I heartily support going dog sledding. We did it in Canada and it is too much fun. They do indeed hate to stop - I got a filthy look from one of the dogs when I jumped on the brakes as we hurtled downhill towards a sharp turn...

Northern/southern light are high on my "must see" list. (As were snow, snow capped mountains, and blue, part frozen streams)

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

Man, I would *love* to go sledding as part of an actual journey. It really looked like the most fantastic way to do it.